The church is the be about the ministry of reconciliation, reconciling the world back to God. This is a ministry of restoring the broken relationship between God and humanity but creation itself. This is God at work in the world. He created a good creation and is at work in the world to restore its goodness. When we become so focused on getting “souls to heaven” we miss the larger Gospel and mission of God and fail to see the work he is doing in restoration. There is a world of brokenness in need of Gospel-visioned people to come in and breathe the Spirit into it.
How do we do this in the half-circles of our lives? This is played out on micro and macro levels; in the lives of people and in how we engage in the larger society. The question that rises within me as a struggle in getting involved in the lives of the people around me is that it can get messy and time consuming. When we hear of tensions in someone’s life it is easier to offer a caring word and a “hang in there.” What does it look like to listen in these situations and look for how God might have you work as a mediator? I’m not sure being a mediator is the calling of every one of us, but we can all develop the capacity to listen and help people take steps toward one another. The caution I wrestle with here is where the line is between mediating and meddling.
I’m not going to take the time at this point to offer tips for mediation. My primary focus here is to invite you to a time of prayer and inviting the Holy Spirit into your interactions with others. Be open to how the Spirit might be guiding you in your interactions with others.
How does reconciliation play out in our larger society? You can toss a rock over your shoulder and hit a major issue between people groups in our society (not to mention the entire world). Pandemic response, politics, cultural changes, school boards, etc. are all powder kegs waiting to explode. Each side is trying to win, and few people are listening. Winning is often more important than working together. We’ve come into a time where being “right” is more important than seeking unity. Paul says something in 1 Corinthians 6:7 that has bothered me for a long time, “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” He says this to a church that is fighting with one another and taking each other to court to win. Paul advocates for an attitude of being wronged for the sake of right relationship.
I assume you’ve already jumped to all the same thoughts I’ve jumped to here. Should we become a doormat for people to walk all over? Do we really need to become pushovers in every situation? Shouldn’t we stand up for truth and what is right? This is complicated and takes discernment. Jesus was silent before his accusers and allowed himself to be the ultimate doormat for the sake of reconciling a broken humanity back to God. Again, this takes discernment. When winning is the aim, reconciliation is never the outcome. When reconciliation is the aim, we allow the Spirit to move us in ways we cannot imagine ourselves.
I mentioned on Sunday the lesson Brian Freeland has taught me. The Civil Rights movement changed laws, but it did not change hearts. Reconciliation is the work of the church and the church simply failed to enter the difficult space of reconciliation. I want to give a small disclaimer here. I am not advocating for what some call a “social gospel” which calls for picking the side of reform in society and advocating for societal change. There is time and space for that in a different conversation. What I am advocating for is a “kingdom gospel” where thoughtful followers of Christ ask the ever-important questions of what the work of God looks like to bring about the Kingdom of redemption over and above the powers of this world. Is it possible to sit in the tensions of the culture war and advocate for peace? It is possible but it is rarely popular.
We are called to be people of peace in an anxious world. We must first be at peace with God and find rest in God’s presence before we can be a non-anxious presence in the world. James’s call to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry does not happen naturally. It comes from a deep relationship with God cultivated in times of quiet, simply sitting with God. There is much more to be said about these practices and I would love to have a longer conversation if you would like to email me. For now, I want to leave you with this image out of Mark 4:35-41. If you read this story as a metaphor for life in our world today, what does it look like to be the presence of Jesus?